My Favourite Recipes of 2015

December 31, 2015

What a year! It’s been quieter on these pages then I would’ve liked for two reasons, the first being personal stuff I won’t bore you with, the second being that my freelance writing really got going and I started a new job as Food and Drink Editor at Londonist. Woohoo! It’s been a blast so far.

It was a year filled with hours on planes, visits to many different countries, lots of cooking, lots of eating around London and…not enough of it reported on this blog. So, I’ll be back in 2016 with a new look, finally, and much more content to fill it. In the meantime, I love a seasonal round up (boo hiss to those who don’t), so here are my top 5 recipes of the year, in no particular order.

Short Ribs, Peckham Style

This is hardcore comfort food, for when the weather is a lot more wintry than it is right now (obviously I am not complaining). I made the ribs ‘Peckham style’ by cooking them in the bizarre alcoholic varnish that is Nigerian Guinness, with scotch bonnets, allspice and some other stuff I plucked from Peckham High Street’s finest selection. It tastes like Peckham, with the less desirable bits removed, such as that peculiar scent of mothballs and fish guts which catches your throat and means it, if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I served it with dumplings because, DUMPLINGS. Get the recipe here.

Smoky Steak and Spring Onion Nachos

This was one of the most popular recipes of 2015, with people e-mailing and tweeting to say how much they enjoyed it. That made me very happy indeed. The recipe was born out of the fact I had to use up THIRTY FOUR KILOGRAMS of spring onions. Yes. Get the recipe here.

Iced Tea Brined Fried Chicken with Jalapeno Slaw

Fried chicken is something I never make but when I came across the idea (in Saveur) of brining it in iced tea, well, that shit just gotta get done. It’s served with a jalapeno slaw which is an idea I nicked from the burger restaurant Byron. So that’s 2 x ideas I nicked from other people = one great meal for me. Get the recipe here.

Hortapita in Greece

A lovely lady called Koula gave me a lesson in how to make fresh filo when I was in Greece in November, and she also showed me her recipe for wild greens and feta pie. Since spanakopita (similar pie but with spinach) is one of my all time favourite things I was pretty excited. We ate it outside (yes, in November), overlooking the Aegean. Get the recipe here.

Gin and Pink Grapefruit Sorbet

This basically got me through the hottest part of the summer, because our flat has massive windows and therefore kept trying to bake us alive. Again, not complaining. The gin and grapefruit is such a good combo – definitely a keeper. Get the recipe here.

A very happy new year to you all and I hope to chat with you a lot more in 2016. I’m always active on Instagram and Twitter if you want to find me there. See you on the other side!